


Cafe Con Leche

by kikabennet



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: Abuela claudia is alive, Adoption, Babysitting, Bisexual Alexander Hamilton, Bisexuality, Brothers, F/F, F/M, Gay sonny, Insecure Alexander Hamilton, Insecure usnavi, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Polyamory, Sharing sonny, Thomas Jefferson Being an Asshole, Twins, elams, gentrification
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-31 09:04:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikabennet/pseuds/kikabennet
Summary: "It was like looking into a mirror. Of course, Usnavi's hair was shorter, but their faces. Their faces were the same"Alexander Hamilton visits the De la Vega Bodega looking to get some authentic cafe con leche. At four years old, the twins were separated. Alexander adopted by the Washingtons. Usnavi adopted by the De la Vegas. Twenty years later, the boys are reunited by chance.





	1. Chapter 1

Alexander Hamilton hardly glanced up from his phone as he stepped aside to let someone out of the door of the crowded Bodega. Normally, he got his coffee at one of the shops on the way to the office, but lately he'd been craving cafe con leche. He'd recently gone on a Caribbean vacation with his girlfriend, Eliza, and the coffee was superb. New York was known for being a melting pot, but even the fanciest coffee houses couldn't seem to get it right. Alexander had finally decided to travel to the Heights where small neighborhoods were bustling with authenticity. 

De la Vega. The Bodega seemed promising as the line was out the door and there were two police cruisers parked outside. Alexander knew from growing up in one of the most popular tourist areas in the world that if you wanted a true local experience in food or drink, follow a cop. Cops ate and drank at all of the local areas. 

"Next!" A cheerful voice called and Alexander walked up to the counter. A young boy with curly hair tucked under a ball cap drummed his fingers impatiently on the counter.

"Cafe con leche please," Alexander said.

"Usnavi!" The boy called behind him. "One regular!"

He took Alexander's five dollar bill, who told him to keep the change. There was a tip jar next to the register, and Alexander almost smirked as he watched the boy slide the extra bills and coins into his pocket instead. 

"Sonny!" A man called walking over with a steaming paper cup. "Spill by the cooler. Get the mop."

"A'ight," the boy said, practically dancing away from the register.

"Cafe con leche," the man said, handing him the cup, still glancing back toward the cooler. "Sonny! ¡deprisa!"

He turned to Alexander, who finally looked up from his phone to accept the cup. When their eyes met just as the cup was passed from one man to the other, Alexander let out a cross between a swear and a gasp, squeezing the cup. The lid popped off and hot coffee sloshed all over the counter, floor, and one shoulder of his suit jacket. The customers behind him backed up.

"Holy fuck...!" He finally breathed, staring at Usnavi, who stared back in equal shock.

It was like looking into a mirror. Of course, Usnavi's hair was shorter, but their faces. Their faces were the same. 

"Yo, Cuz, where even is the mop? That back room is like an episode of Hoarders and-" Sonny came bouncing back and noticed them. He looked at Alexander for a long time, and then Usnavi.

"Shit," he said.

"Shit," Usnavi agreed.

\------

Alexander didn't even bother removing his damp suit jacket as he banged on the door of his adoptive parents house. The Washingtons lived in a beautiful home that was worth millions in New York City and they constantly teased Alexander about paying so much for his tiny shoebox apartment when he could just live at home for free. 

"Alexander?" Martha opened the door. "Sweetheart, why didn't you use your key?"

Alexander walked inside, trying to control his breathing. He couldn't get the image of the store clerk out of his head. 

"Rachel," he finally managed, taking a seat on the sofa. 

Martha sat beside him, a worried expression on her face. She started to rub his shoulder and then realized it was damp. She began to remove his suit jacket and he assisted her. 

"Did Rachel have another son?" He asked.

Alexander knew he was adopted. The Washingtons had never tried to hide that from him. A terrible storm had hit one of the Caribbean islands and many children lost their homes and families. Alexander was just four years old when a volunteer rescue party had found him in the house with his mother, three inches of water inside and no electricity. Rachel Hamilton had already passed away and Alexander, running a 104 degree fever was asleep in her arms. He'd been featured in numerous pieces asking the states for aid. George Washington, a politician and humanitarian, and his wife, Martha Washington, an advocate for women and children, had fallen in love with the pictures of him in his hospital bed. A newly orphaned hurricane victim who was about to be thrown into the system. The Washingtons had been trying to adopt domestically, but changed their mind when they saw Alexander's picture and retrieved him right out of the hospital.

"Not that we know of," Martha said. "We couldn't get a lot of information though. Everything  was so chaotic."

She stroked his face.

"Why?" She asked softly. "Did something happen?"

\------

"I thought he was dead," Abuela Claudia said, shuffling over to her bedroom closet where she kept her most treasured possessions. "Carmen and Luis had been told that."

Usnavi, who had only lost his parents when he was sixteen, had learned after their funeral that he was not their biological child. Abuela Claudia had given him a letter his mother had written him when he was a little child that was to be given to him as a man. In the letter, she had told the story of Rachel Hamilton, a struggling young mother who needed help because she was often ill and had no means to support herself because her children's father and common law husband had left her. Carmen and Luis De la Vega had offered to keep little Usnavi for a few months, but after a terrible storm struck the island, Rachel had died. Carmen and Luis, who had plans to leave for the states, took Usnavi with them and raised him as their own.

Abuela Claudia emerged from the large walk-in closet with a photograph, handing it to Usnavi. It looked like him in many of his childhood photos with the parents he'd grown up with. A small, preschool age boy messily eating an ice cream cone in swim shorts on the beach. 

Only there were two of them.

Two little boys, identical in every way down to the haircut, smiling with ice cream on the faces, their bare toes sandy. 

Usnavi stared at the photo, his brows furrowing slightly.

"They never told me," he said softly. 

"Nobody found him when they found your mother. Nobody knew where he went. They assumed he'd died in the storm," Abuela told him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

" _Mijo_ ," she said, kissing his cheek. "So many died. There was so much confusion. They didn't want to hurt you."

"I have a brother," Usnavi whispered, blinking back tears. 

\--------

"Are you sure you're alright?" Eliza asked, bringing Alexander another pillow.

He chuckled softly. He was practically buried in pillows and blankets by this time. On the coffee table was a bowl of soup and a tall glass of juice and some cookies. Eliza stood in front of him, her face worried.

"Come here, you," he said playfully, taking her hand and pulling her down beside him.

"You act like I have the flu," he told her.

"You have a brother," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "A twin brother. You're a twin."

"He could be an evil clone," Alexander said. "My dad's going to hire a private investigator."

He kissed her cheek. 

"Should I go talk to him?" He asked. "Would that be weird?" 

"I don't think so," Eliza said. "Do you know his name?"

"No."

\---------

"This is some top notch Novella shit," Vanessa said, walking over to the sofa to bring her boyfriend a beer. She sat down beside him, removing his hat to run her fingers through his short hair. "You have a twin brother."

"And my parents never told me," he said with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes. He picked up the photograph that rested on the coffee table and stared at it. He then turned it over on the back and stared at his mother's delicate, tiny handwriting.   


_Alejandro y Felipe cuarto cumpleaños_

"Do you think I'm Alejandro or Felipe?" He asked her, slightly teasing, though his smile was sad. "I ain't Usnavi."

He'd always been told that he was named after a passing a ship that read 'US Navy' on the side, but it was apparent now that he was not born with that name. 

Vanessa smiled a little too and said, "I know which one is you."

"They look exactly alike," Usnavi countered. "There's no way."

Vanessa studied the photograph and pointed to the child on the right.

"This one," she said.

Usnavi squinted, studying the child. He was smiling with big bright eyes, the ice cream dripping down his fist. 

"You still make that smile," Vanessa told him, kissing his lips and he grinned through their kiss.

"You're doing it right now," she said. 

\---------

Alexander was glad the following day was Saturday. He couldn't afford to miss two days of work or school. He found himself back at the Bodega, no longer in his suit, but jeans, t-shirt and hooded hooded sweater. Aside from the hat that the Bodega worker was wearing yesterday, they were even dressed similar. There was a line of customers again, and when the worker saw him, he nodded to him in acknowledgement and Alexander nodded back, waiting his turn.

"Hi," he said when he finally got to the counter. 

"Hi." The other man smiled.

Neither of them really knew what to say. Finally, Alexander thrust out his hand.

"Alexander Hamilton," he said.

"Usnavi De la Vega," Usnavi said, shaking it. "You, uh...you gotta little time to go grab a cup of coffee?" He asked.

"Yeah." Alexander nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Sonny!" Usnavi called and then said something in rapid Spanish.

Alexander had taken Spanish in high school. He was convinced he could learn it again as he had to learn English when he arrived in the states, but his Spanish was broken and sounded like baby talk to native speakers. He could only catch bits and pieces of what Usnavi was saying. 

"This is the best coffee in the Heights," Usnavi said, moving from around the counter. "But maybe you know a good place somewhere else?"

Alexande smiled, understanding that he wanted a long commute. He wanted time to talk.

"Yeah," he said.

\----------

The two men mostly walked to a coffee house that was several blocks away that neither of them had been too. The autumn leaves crunched under their feet as they both walked in unison, hands jammed into their pockets. 

Alexander told Usnavi his story about the Washingtons adopting him out of the hospital. He told him how they kept his last name so he'd always have a piece of his old life. He told him how he'd graduated early and was in law school and was already working in a law firm even though he still needed to pass the Bar exam. He told him about his friends who he'd been friends with since middle school and his girlfriend who he'd met in college. 

"You're dating Eliza Schuyler?" Usnavi's eyebrows went way up.

The Schuyler sisters were the anti-Kardashians. They were New York's angels. Their father was rich, they were rich, they were beautiful, but they were smart and kind and caring. Angelica Schuyler spoke out against violence and corrupt government and women's rights. Eliza Schuyler had opened a large charity to help children in the foster system. Peggy Schuyler dabbled in all kinds of things, but her favorite was animals and she led large movements and events to get them out of shelters and into forever homes. 

"Yes, Sir," Alexander said, grinning. "We met at a charity ball run by her father and we've been dating for three years now."

He shrugged one shoulder.

"You got a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Married?" He asked.

"Girlfriend," Usnavi said. "I'd been pining after since we were in Head Start together. My abuela won the lotto and gave me a third of the money. I used it to get us a nice apartment and put away some for Sonny for college and the rest is just sitting. I want to open a bar or restaurant. The store just keeps me so busy."

"Sonny?" Alexander asked. "Is that your son?"

Usnavi shrugged one shoulder this time.

"Practically," he said. "I've had custody of him for six years now."

"Six years?" Alexander frowned, stopping in his tracks. "Wait, this isn't a baby?"

Usnavi shook his head.

"Sonny's my cousin," he explained. "His ma passed a while back and he was about to be thrown into the system. I was the only living next of kin so I volunteered to take him."

"How old is he?" Alexander asked. 

"Fifteen, almost sixteen," Usnavi said.

Alexander's eyes widened. "You were raising a nine year old kid when you were only eighteen?" 

"I had to," Usnavi said simply.

They started walking again. 

"Wow," Alexander finally said. "When I was eighteen I was probably acting nine years old. It was my second year of college and I was an asshole."

Usnavi grinned.

"How was college?" He asked. 

Alexander shrugged again. He suddenly felt slightly ashamed. He had grown up rich. He had gone to college. He had got to pick his college. He had griped about not getting enough sleep or his course load being too much. He had been getting high with Laf, Herc, and John. He'd been experimenting with guys...oh...

"By the way," Alexander said, tucking some hair behind his ears. He busied his hands by pulling his hair into a ponytail. "I'm bi."

Usnavi stared blankly at him.

"Bisexual...?" Alexander tried again.

"Oh," Usnavi said. "Okay."

They continued to walk.

"I'm not," Usnavi said. He was smiling. "Sonny's gay. He came out just a few months ago."

"Oh yeah?" Alexander smiled too. "How did that go?"

"I told him it didn't bother me until he told me he wanted to date the neighborhood vandal who's eighteen, Graffiti Pete," Usnavi replied. 

Alexander busted out laughing. Usnavi laughed a little too. 

"Sonny wants to go to PRIDE next summer," He told Alexander. 

"It's a lot of fun," Alexander told him.

\------

By the time they got their coffee, they were deep in conversation. They both loved the same rap artists and food and drinks and listened to each other talk about their childhood experiences. Sometimes they even interrupted each other to finish the other's sentence. 

"This is insane," Alexander chuckled, staring down at his now empty mug. A waitress came by to refill but he politely shook his head. Usnavi did the same.

"I want to show you something," Usnavi said, fishing the folded photograph out of his wallet. He slid it across the table to Alexander. 

Alexander cocked his head slightly as he took it, brows furrowing, and carefully unfolded it. Usnavi watched his facial expressions as he studied the picture, scrubbing a hand down his mouth. He turned it over and read what it said.

"I guess I'm Felipe," Usnavi said, playing with his paper straw wrapper. 

They were silent for several seconds. 

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" Usnavi asked. 

\-------

Usnavi's apartment was nice. Exposed brick and a fireplace and hardwood floors. Vanessa introduced herself and Usnavi stood beside her proudly, giving Alexander a questioningly look as if to ask 'what do you think'?

"Pleasure's all mine," Alexander said after she'd shook his hand. He kissed her hand, smiling his famous charming smile and she laughed.

"I might be with the wrong brother," she teased and Usnavi rolled his eyes affectionately as she kissed his cheek. 

Sonny came bounding out of his bedroom and headed for the front door. Usnavi grabbed him by the hood of his jacket.

"Where are you going?" He demanded. "It's dark outside."

"It's only seven o'clock," Sonny said. "Chill out."

"You ain't leavin' 'till I know where you're goin'," Usnavi said. 

Sonny sighed. "Party at Maricruz's place, remember? You told me I could go."

Usnavi nodded toward Alexander.

"Meet your uncle, Alexander," he said dryly.

Sonny shook Alexander's hand. "What up, Tio."

"Nice to meet you, Sonny," Alexander said. 

"Now can I go? I'm a teenager. I go out on Saturdays."

Usnavi rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment and finally said, "If I find out you did anything you're not supposed to, you're grounded for a month."

Sonny rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom."

He started out the door.

"I mean it, Sonny, I've done it before!" Usnavi called. 

The door shut and Vanessa laughed, hugging her boyfriend.

"Our baby's growing up," she teased. "And you know Sonny's a good boy."

"Yeah, yeah," Usnavi said. He then clapped his hands together. "Dinner!"

\---------

Alexander and Vanessa sat at the littler bar that separated the kitchen from the living area sipping wine. Usnavi worked like a hummingbird, fluttering around the kitchen chopping and mixing and stirring. 

"You cook?" Vanessa asked Alexander.

"I can make eggs," Alexander said. "And follow the instructions on the back of a brownie box."

Vanessa laughed. 

"Score one for De la Vega," she said and Usnavi, without looking at them, he raised his arm in a 'raise the roof' fashion. 

A knock sounded at the door and Alexander said, "That's her."

Vanessa opened the door to a pretty girl who smiled and said shyly, "Hello."

Alexander pulled her inside, giving her a hug and a kiss. Usnavi wiped his hands on his jeans and shook her hand before also giving her a hug and kiss (on the cheek). She touched Usnavi's face and laughed a little. 

"Oh my God," she chuckled, looking between her boyfriend and the other man. 

"It's so weird, right?" Vanessa asked. 

Alexander poured her a glass of wine. 

"How did these two?" Vanessa asked. "End up with hotties like us?"

\--------

When they were all seated at table, Usnavi served them Jerk Chicken which made Alexander's mouth water. It was a festive, colorful mean with peppers and onions and pineapple and his taste buds were clicking their heels when he took his first bite.

"Oh my God," he said through a mouthful. "Oh my God."

"I think he likes it," Eliza joked and they all laughed. 

After dessert (homemade brownies and ice cream), Usnavi called Sonny and told him it was time to come home. He fixed everybody coffee and smiled sweetly as he passed Eliza her cup.

"A little bit of cinnamon," he said. 

"That's how he won me over," Vanessa said.

Eliza took her sip and her eyes lit up. The four of them moved to the balcony patio and drank the coffee at the small glass table and talked and talked. When it was finally time to leave, the girls chattering away about Eliza's newest project, Alexander and Usnavi embraced each other. It was awkward at first, but their grips on one another tightened and tears came to both of their eyes. When they pulled away, they both pretended to clear their sinuses.

"Maybe next weekend Eliza and I can feed you," Alexander said.

"We'd like that," Usnavi said. "Plus I'd like to meet your friends. Who's actually named Hercules?"

"Who's actually named Usnavi?" Alexander joked back.

Just as he and Eliza were walking out the door, Sonny was bounding up the stairs. Alexander lingered just for a moment, watching as Usnavi patted the boy's back and gestured toward the kitchen. 

\--------

"You're quiet," Eliza said as they sat in the back of the Uber. 

"It's a lot to take in," Alexander said. 

Usnavi De la Vega. His brother. His twin brother. His twin brother who'd grown up poor and raised a child and worked tirelessly to keep his parents' store afloat. His brother who spoke Spanish and could cook authentic Caribbean meals.

It gave Alexander an almost empty feeling inside. 

 

 

To Be Continued...

 


	2. Chapter 2

Alexander drummed his fingers against his side as he waited impatiently in line at the Bodega. There always seemed to be a line, but then again, Usnavi made great coffee. He watched his brother (it still felt strange to think of him as such) smile and make small talk with familiar faces, handing them their cups of coffee and bread and lottery tickets. He also noticed a picture of himself taped to the back of the cash register along side a picture of his adopted grandmother and cousin. 

"Is that you?" One of the customers asked, pointing. "You had long hair?"

"That's my brother," Usnavi said, beaming. "He's in law school."

"Ah," the customer said, smiling. "Why ain't you in law school?"

Alexander thought that might offend Usnavi, but he and the older gentleman laughed and Usnavi told him "Get out of here, Man."

When Alexander got to the counter, Usnavi already had his coffee ready. He shook his head, refusing Alexander's card and sighed happily.

"Goin' to work?" He asked him.

"Yeah," Alexander said, glancing at the clock on his phone. "You still comin' over for dinner?"

"Definitely." Usnavi grinned. 

"Yo, Cuz," Sonny said, walking in from the front door. "Dani and Carla want some tacos. Papa, huevo, y queso. Pronto." 

"Go make 'em," Usnavi said, nodding toward the back. "You have two hands."

"You're killin' me, Smalls!" Sonny groaned good-naturedly. He noticed Alexander and said, "Tio 'Jandro. What's happenin', Man?"

Alexander clapped his hand and allowed Sonny to pull him into a one-armed hug. 

"You comin' to dinner too?" He asked the boy.

"Nobody said anything to me about dinner," Sonny said, looking pointedly at his cousin.

"You can't come," Usnavi told him. "Because you have an English assignment due tomorrow."

"Man, why I still gotta be in AP English?" Sonny asked. "Why can't I be in regular English? All they do is watch Youtube videos."

"Because you're too smart," Usnavi said. "Go make Dani and Carla their tacos. Quit pesterin' us."

As Sonny dragged his feet, Usnavi said, "Make yourself one too if you didn't eat breakfast."

When Sonny was gone, Alexander chuckled and said, "AP English, huh?"

"AP everything," Usnavi said with a sigh. "They tested him in the fifth grade and wanted him to skip a grade, but it was too soon after his mother..." he craned his head and then lowered his voice. "After she died and I didn't want that extra stress on him, you know?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Maybe I should have?" He sounded unsure, guilty.

Alexander realized he was asking him. It was flattering, but Alexander had never taken in an orphaned child to know. He WAS the orphaned child. Speaking of which...

"My parents want to meet you," he told Usnavi. "My mom fawned over your picture. Talked about how cute you are."

"We look exactly alike," Usnavi said, laughing. 

"I invited them to dinner too," Alexander said. "Hope that's okay?"

Usnavi nodded. 

\-------

"Hello, Usnavi," Eliza said, answering the door that evening. She handed him a glass of wine and led him into the living room which wasn't that far from the door. 

Usnavi was surprised that his apartment was actually bigger than his brother's, but then again, his apartment was purchased with lottery money and Vanessa had shopped very smart to find such a deal on such an apartment. 

"Alexander cooked," she said, raising her eyebrows. 

"Burgers in the oven," Alexander said, walking into the room. "Nothing special."

"Smells good," Usnavi offered. 

He noticed all of the pictures on the wall and sitting on shelves and little pieces of furniture. The same three men showed up in a lot of pictures as did the same three women. He noticed a picture of little Alexander in grade school that could have very well have been little Usnavi. Short hair with straight-across bangs, t-shirt, jeans, large dark eyes and a wide smile. 

"Sonny do his homework?" Alexander asked.

"I told him if he doesn't then he doesn't get to see Pete for a week," Usnavi said. 

"You let him date that guy?" Alexander's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"Yes and no?" Usnavi replied hesitantly. "We had a long talk-"

There was another rap at the door and Eliza opened it again. A man and a woman stepped inside and hugged and kissed her. They also hugged and kissed Alexander. When they saw Usnavi, the man started laughing and the woman covered her mouth in surprise.

"Just like Alex," the man said, gesturing him over. "Come here, Son. Let me get a good look at you."

"Oh my goodness..." the woman said breathlessly. "Look at you."

"It's nice to meet you," Usnavi said nervously as they turned him around. 

"How did we not know about you?" The woman asked. 

"Usnavi," Alexander said. "My parents, George and Martha Washington. Mom, Dad, Usnavi De la Vega, my brother."

\-------

Dinner was wonderful and Alexander actually was a pretty good cook. The Washingtons were funny and polite and seemed to make things less awkward (or maybe time had done that?) and Eliza poured everyone glass after glass of wine. George suggested some Scotch after dinner and by the time it was pushing eleven o' clock, Usnavi's tongue felt heavy and he could hardly steady himself. 

"Why don't you stay the night?" Eliza suggested. "I could make you a bed on the sofa."

" 'm fine," Usnavi said, struggling to sound sober. "...take the subway...be home...pronto...Sonny...Nessa's waiting for me."

"I'll call Vanessa," Eliza said in motherly, but no-nonsense kind of way. "Alexander get him something to sleep in."

Alexander chuckled as he led him down the hall. Usnavi changed into a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants that belonged to Alexander. The t-shirt was a King's College t-shirt. Alexander gave him an unopened toothbrush as after that, Usnavi all but passed out on the couch bed Eliza had made up for him with sheets, blankets and extra pillows. He slurred out something about Vanessa and Sonny and felt Eliza touch his face.

"We called them," she said. "They said they want you to stay here tonight."

Usnavi said something in Spanish and the only reason he knew is because they said, "Huh?"

He fell asleep shortly after.

\-------

Usnavi awoke to the sound of the front door unlocking loudly. It was still night. He knew that because the clock on the wall read two-thirty. He groggily sat up, rubbing at his eyes, wondering why Alexander or Eliza would be coming in through the front door at this hour. Had they gone somewhere? He debated on getting dressed and calling an Uber. He had work in the morning after all. 

A man walked in through the front door, shutting it slowly behind him to be extra quiet. He was lanky with curly dark hair pulled into a ponytail and had some freckles on his face. Usnavi frowned at him, still blinking his eyes awake. The man seemed to finally take notice of him.

"Eliza got you on the couch?" He grinned. "What'd you do?"

Usnavi opened his mouth, but said nothing. His head was still fuzzy.

"No..." the man said, walking over to him. He squatted down and ran his fingers through Usnavi's short hair (he was already in need of a haircut. He'd have to talk to Daniella). "What'd you do to your hair?"

"Huh?" Usnavi shook his head. "My hair?"

"It looks good," the man said. "Really."

Usnavi was awake when the man let his hands travel down his scalp, the sides of his face, and cup his cheeks as he leaned in and kissed him. Usnavi pulled back slightly.

"This is fucking good."

They both turned to see Alexander standing before them, his arms crossed. He was grinning. He was laughing!

"The fuck?!" The man jumped back, his back hitting the opposite wall. "What the actual-"

Alexander was laughing so hard that he had doubled over. 

"What is this?" The man sounded loud, frightened, and angry. 

"That's my brother," Alexander said, gesturing to him casually. 

"Your what?" The man blinked and his eyebrows went up high. 

"I was gonna try and do something like this when you guys met him," Alexander said. "Without the kissing, but yeah, I have a twin brother."

"Nice to meet you," Usnavi said. "My name is Usnavi De la Vega."

His eyes widened. The man thought he was Alexander. He'd kissed him thinking he was Alexander. Alexander was cheating-oh no! Poor Eliza!

"What the fuck?!" He also cursed, standing up. "Are you-" he grabbed Alexander and lowered his voice to a whisper, glancing at the small hallway where the bedroom door was closed. "You're cheating on her?"

It hurt. He was so proud of his new brother. His smart, educated, wonderful brother. 

"Alex?" Eliza opened the door. "What are you two screaming about? Is Usnavi okay?"

"How could you do this to her?" Usnavi whispered, hurt and panic in his voice. 

Alexander just kept grinning. Eliza walked in and noticed the other man.

"John." She said, unphased. 

"Hey." He moved to her and kissed her. 

"Alexander," Usnavi said. "You're my brother. Eliza, I like you a lot. You're a great person. I can't...I can't do this. Eliza, he's cheating on you. Alexander, you're a piece of shit." He pointed at John. "I don't know who the fuck you think YOU are, but this here is a wonderful person-" he pointed to Eliza. "And to break up a relationship like this. Shame on you."

Eliza sighed tiredly and said, "I'm going back to sleep."

She took Usnavi by the shoulders and rubbed them a little. "How's your head? Need some aspirin?"

"Oh, sure, yeah, thanks," he said. 

"Um..." Alexander ran his hands through his hair, smiling nervously. "Remember how I mentioned I was bi?"

"Yeah." Usnavi stared blankly.

"Eliza and I...sort of have an arrangement with John..." Alexander said.

"Uh huh..." Usnavi still stared blankly. 

"He's our friend," Alexander said.

More staring. 

"Our really GOOD friend," Alexander continued.

"Not that good," Usnavi said. "Thinks I'm you, wants to kiss me, Eliza's right in the next room-"

"They sleep together," Eliza said, walking back into the room holding the water and two aspirins. 

"Que?!" Usnavi squeaked.

Eliza smiled.

"Well, John and I do...other things...but it's all fine, we all know about it..." she kissed his cheek. "But thank you for looking out for me."

John thrust out his hand. "John Laurens. Nice to meet you, Bro."

Usnavi shook it.

"No me diga..." he murmured. 

Wait till Vanessa heard about THIS.

 

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

"It's not funny, Sonny!" Usnavi said, slamming down the plates of eggs and potatoes a little harder than he should have.

Sonny's head was on the table and his shoulders were shaking, but there was no sound coming out of him. He was laughing too hard. Vanessa stole a potato chunk from his plate and popped it into her mouth, letting out a quiet laugh of her own. 

"Wow," she said. "Some brother."

Sonny looked up.

"Man, Navi!" He gasped out. "I can only imagine what you looked like when some dude kissed you and then you goin' off on a 'cheatin husband'."

Vanessa stroked some of her boyfriend's hair as he slid into the chair beside her. 

"You wanna ask Benny if he's open to-" she teased and that made Sonny laugh harder, clapping his hands. 

Usnavi rolled his eyes. "I mean, who am I to judge I guess, but damn it's a weird situation."

"Man, I always thought that guy was weird," Sonny said, turning serious. 

"We've only known him for like a week and a half," Vanessa reminded him, brows furrowing.

"Still, though," Sonny said. 

Usnavi pushed Sonny's plate closer to him and reminded him, "esquela."

They all began to eat when a soft rap sounded at the door. Sonny jumped up to open it. It was Alexander, dressed for work in his dress shirt and nice slacks. Sonny leaned against the door frame, grinning.

"Tio 'Jandro," he greeted.

"Sonny," Alexander replied, brows furrowing slightly. "Can I, uh, come in?"

Sonny stepped aside to make room. He followed Alexander into the kitchen and said, "Come to tell my cousin to keep his mouth off your man?"

"Santiago Mateo Luis Gabriel De la Vega!" Usnavi all but snarled, turning red as he stood up. "School! Now!'

"A'ight, a'ight," Sonny said, grabbing his backpack and collecting his dishes. "Chill out."

He gave Vanessa a kiss on the cheek and slapped Alexander's hand as he bounced toward the door. After he was gone, Vanessa collected the rest of the dishes to put them in the washer. 

"Want some coffee, Alex?" She asked.

"No," Alexander said, waving the idea away. "Thanks."

"Look," Usnavi said with a sigh, running a rand through his short hair. 

"About last night," they said together, and Vanessa looked between them, eyes wide. She was smiling.

"Give us a minute?" Usnavi asked her in a small voice.

Vanessa nodded and said, "I gotta get to work anyway."

She kissed Usnavi on the mouth and Alexander on the cheek before disappearing into the bedroom to finish getting ready. Usnavi gestured for Alexander to have a seat and Alexander slid onto one of the stools at the bar. 

"I didn't tell them anything mean," Usnavi said. "Live your life, man. I respect...whatever you and Eliza have goin' on."

"I'm sorry for what John did," Alexander said, drumming his fingers against the bar. "And for not telling you."

Usnavi shrugged. "It's not my business."

"It is," Alexander said. "You're...we're brothers. I want it to be your business."

Usnavi blinked. He turned the water off he was running to wash the dishes and asked, "You do?"

"I know we've lost a lot of time," Alexander said. "But I want this-" he gestured between them. "I wanna introduce you to my friends and my parents wanna see you again and..."

Usnavi smiled. Alexander wanted him? He wanted some average Heights bodega owner? 

"I wanna introduce you to my friends too," he said, a little shyly. 

They were silent for several seconds. 

"You and Vanessa need a date night?" Alexander asked suddenly.

"A date night?" Usnavi asked, letting out a breathy laugh. He didn't really understand the question. 

Alexander shrugged one shoulder. 

"We go out," Usnavi said, also shrugging one shoulder. "She works and goes to school, though, and I work...we're just tired when we get home and Sonny's here-"

"Let me have Sonny for the night," Alexander said suddenly. 

"Mande?" Usnavi frowned. "I mean, what?"

"Give you and Vanessa a chance to have a kid-free night, give me a chance to bond with..." Alexander hesitated. "Your cousin? Is that what you call him? Or son?"

"I don't know," Usnavi said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eliza and I aren't weird sex perverts," Alexander said. "I promise. The thing with John-"

"No!" Usnavi shook his head furiously. "No,no,no,no. It's not that. It's just...I've never let Sonny spend the night away from home before."

Alexander said nothing for several seconds. Usnavi bit his bottom lip.

"Never?" Alexander asked.

Usnavi nodded.

Alexander laughed. "You really need a break then."

\---------

Sonny sat on the counter of the bodega as Usnavi did inventory paperwork. 

"So I have to spend the night with him so YOU can bond with each other?" He asked. "How does that make any sense?"

He slurped loudly on his Slurpee.

"Look, we're still trying to work things out, and you're my family so you're his family too," Usnavi said. "He's just trying to be nice, Sonny."

"Did you tell him that you and Vanessa DO go on dates and that I'm fifteen and perfectly capable of staying home by myself? Are you paying him a flat rate and leaving the number of the hotel you'll be stayin' at?"

Sonny was being sarcastic, but Usnavi didn't even roll his eyes. He simply chewed on his ballpoint pen and pretended to stare at the boring sheet of paper on the clipboard in front of him.

"It won't kill you to stay the night," he finally said. 

"I just think it's weird," Sonny said. "It'll be sooo awkward too. What do I even talk about with these people?"

"Well, for starters," Usnavi said, gesturing for him to hop off of the counter. He put a rag and spray bottle of cleaning solution in his hands. "He's bi so you can talk to him about that."

"Are you sendin' me over there to get the gay sex talk?" Sonny asked suspiciously, beginning to wipe the counter.

"What?! No!" Usnavi turned red. "I just meant...maybe he can tell you things that I can't about...feelings and shit...I don't know."

Sonny pondered this.

"Does he know I'm gay?" He asked, lowering his voice to an almost whisper at the last word, looking around. Those close to the De la Vegas knew about Sonny, but he wasn't exactly running around banging on random doors announcing his orientation.

Usnavi nodded. 

"You never let me stay the night with any of my friends," Sonny said. "You always said 'you have a bed here. Invite them HERE'." 

"I know." Usnavi sighed. 

"If I like him better," Sonny said, his most serious voice and expression on, complete with one raised eyebrow. "I move in with him."

Usnavi rolled his eyes playfully swatted at him. 

\-------

"Come on in, Sonny," Eliza said when Usnavi, Vanessa, and Sonny showed up to their apartment. "I'm ordering pizza. Do you like pizza?"

"This kid probably has more pizza grease in his veins than blood," Usnavi joked, prodding Sonny inside. 

Vanessa and Eliza hugged and then Alexander and Vanessa hugged and then Usnavi and Eliza hugged. Sonny looked between all of them awkwardly. He shifted the weight of his backpack which contained his toothbrush, face wash, and change of clothes. 

"So where are you two off to?" Eliza chirped, noting the niceness of Usnavi and Vanessa's clothes. 

"Usnavi is taking me to a fancy restaurant," Vanessa said, taking her boyfriend by the arm. "And then dancing and he even got us a hotel for the night with a spa."

"Ooh..." Eliza laughed. "Well, you guys have a great time. We'll take good care of Sonny."

Usnavi shifted uncomfortably and said, "I'll have my phone on. You know, in case anything goes wrong."

Alexander nodded. "Sounds good."

Vanessa had to drag him out the door and once they were gone, Sonny felt more awkward than he ever had in his entire life. Eliza offered him a soda and he followed her into the kitchen. Alexander followed him. 

"You can sleep in the guest room," Eliza said. 

"The spare bedroom," Alexander said, rolling his eyes playfully. 

She poured a can of soda into a tall glass with ice and put a straw in it. Sonny thanked her and sat at the table, unsure of what to do or say. It was so weird being next to someone who looked just like Usnavi but couldn't be more different. A total stranger. 

"Usnavi talks about you a lot," Alexander said, sitting beside him. 

"Good things, I hope," Sonny said.

"Great things," Eliza said. "He talks about how smart you, and how funny, and how you're going to change the world and you have all of these big dreams and ideas."

"Navi says all that about me?" Sonny's brows furrowed. The same Usnavi who had told him just last week that he was going to throw him out into the streets if he found one more pair of underwear left on the bathroom floor? 

"Would you like to watch a movie?" Eliza asked. "We have Netflix and Hulu."

A knock sounded at the door and Sonny was grateful. It was the pizza. Eating would be a huge distraction from all of the awkwardness. 

"Hey, LIza."

It wasn't the pizza. It was some guy with freckles and a ponytail. Kind of cute actually.

"Hey, John," Eliza replied, pecking him on the lips. "Pizza should be here soon."

John? 

Oh.

Uh oh.

Sonny sipped at his soda. John entered the kitchen and held out his hand. "What's happenin', Man?"

Sonny slapped his hand. "Not much, Bro."

"This is Sonny," Alexander said. "Usnavi's son."

Son?  Sonny blushed slightly at the word, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 

"Son?" John asked. "Isn't he your twin brother?"

"It's a long story," Alexander said, dismissing any further explanation. "Sonny's staying with us tonight."

He said it so proudly, practically beaming. Eliza was also beaming. It was like they were showing off their newborn child or something. 

"Huh." John. shrugged. "Cool. Well, nice to meet you, Sonny."

When the pizza arrived, Eliza gave them the go ahead to sit in the living room to eat. There was a wrap around sofa and a lounge chair. Sonny sat beside Alexander, feeling a little less weird now. Alexander sat the exact same way Usnavi did, collapsing onto the couch rather than just sitting on it, and he leaned forward instead of backwards while everyone one talked, but once Eliza put a movie on, he leaned back-just like Usnavi. 

The movie was an action movie and had a thinly-veiled political message. John began discussing the real life problems of government and how the rich were hurting the poor and Alexander and Eliza joined in. Sonny eventually did too, though not as passionately as he would have with people he knew. As he talked about gentrification and how it was hurting America's immigrant culture, his phone buzzed. 

 _Where you at?_ A text from Pete read.

Oh boy. How did he explain this? 

_I'm at Usnavi's brother's apartment._

_Why?_

_He wanted to get to know me._

_Can you cut loose for a bit? I want your opinion on something I'm thinkin of painting on that old building on_ 96th street.

Sonny bit his bottom lip. Eliza and John and Alexander were deep into a conversation about someone named Thomas Jefferson and some debate that had happened somewhere. He stood up to discard his pizza crusts and plate.

"Just put it in the sink, Sweetheart," Eliza told him. 

Sonny did just that and came back to the living room, waving his phone a little in front of him. "I, uh, I'm gonna step outside and make a phone call. My phone's dumb and I hardly get any service in here."

"Who's your provider?" John asked.

"AT&T," Sonny said.

John flung his hands up in the universal 'THANK YOU' position to Alexander. 

"Shut up!" Alexander laughed, even though John hadn't actually said anything. 

Sonny stepped outside and called Pete.

"Man, this is super awkward," he said. "Alex and Eliza have some friend over and they're treatin' me like I'm some ten year old they're sittin'."

"That is weird," Pete agreed.

"I wish I could be there, Man, but this is important to Navi for some reason."

"Can I come over there?" Pete asked. "See you for a little while?"

Usnavi had tentatively agreed to let Sonny date Pete on the condition that they only saw each other during daylight hours and Sonny also had to keep his bedroom door open whenever Pete came over. Sonny had also had to promise on all four of the deceased De la Vega parents' names that he wouldn't drink or do drugs with Pete-which Pete didn't do anyway, but Usnavi had made him promise nonetheless.

"It'll hafta be real quick," Sonny said, biting his thumb. He really did want to see Pete. Pete was familiar. 

\--------

"Honey, can you pause it?" Alexander asked Eliza as his phone buzzed. It was Usnavi.

"Hola," he said into the phone.

Usnavi chuckled. "You don't answer the phone in Spanish with 'hello'. You say 'Bueno'."

"Oh," Alexander said. "Bueno?"

Usnavi laughed again. "How's Sonny?"

"He's good," his brother replied. "He's a little quiet. I think he's just feeling kind of awkward, but he ate and we're watching a movie..."

"HIs phone went to voice mail," Usnavi said. "Can you put him on really quick?"

"Oh, no," Alexander said. "He's on the phone. He stepped outside to make a call."

Usnavi sighed and muttered quietly, "Shit."

"Shit?" Alexander repeated.

"Shit?" Eliza and John repeated, brows furrowing.

"He's talkin' to Pete," Usnavi said. "Hey, could you remind him that he's only allowed to see him before dark and tell him that if that punk-guy comes around even to your place that he's gonna be in big trouble?"

"Um..." Alexander stood up. "Sure. You know what? I'll put him on."

He opened the door and quickly shut it when he saw Sonny and some older looking boy with a shaved head kissing. He opened it again. 

"Pete's there, isn't he?" Usnavi asked. "I'm coming to get him. I knew this was a bad idea and-"

"Usnavi, no-" Alexander said and to Sonny and Pete who quickly broke apart-Pete looking rather confused- "We need to talk."

"Navi," Alexander said. "I'll handle it, okay? Enjoy your night with Vanessa."

He hung up and Sonny looked as guilty as a kid who stuck his fingers in his sister's birthday cake before the party. 

"I, um..." he began. 

"I'm Pete," Pete said, thrusting out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Pete," Alexander said and asked Sonny, "Did Pete know he's not supposed to be here?"

"What?" Pete looked at Sonny.

"Navi has a lot of rules about us," Sonny said. "Bein' together after dark is one of them."

Alexander couldn't help but smile indulgently at little Sonny, who suddenly took a lot of interest in his sneakers. He remembered the days where he was the one looking down at his shoes, George and Martha scolding him for breaking rules. 

"Tell Pete goodnight, Sonny," he said calmly. 

"I'll see you tomorrow," Pete said, hugging Sonny quickly and then gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth. 

"Yeah," Sonny said, sadly watching him bound down the stairs. When he was gone, he looked at Alexander.

"He was just...close by..." he said. 

"Uh huh." Alexander was still smiling. "Come on, Kid."

He led them both inside and said, "I used to be you, you know. Usnavi too, I'm sure."

"Usnavi told me a girl didn't even ask him out on a date until after high school," Sonny countered.

That made Alexander kind of sad. Usnavi was a good looking guy. He hoped so anyway. They looked just alike. 

"Is everything okay?" Eliza asked, and John was staring at them curiously. 

"Everything's fine," Alexander said, taking a gallon of ice cream out of the fridge and getting bowls from the cabinet. 

"So, Sonny," he said. "Tell me about Pete."

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't be nervous," John said, rubbing Alexander's shoulders as he assaulted the simmering chicken breasts with more cinnamon. Luckily, he could read Usnavi's chicken scratch handwriting on the Jerk Chicken recipe, but it was a lot of work. 

"Are Laf and Herc on their way?" He asked John. "How far away did they say they were again?" 

As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door before Hercules and Lafayette entered the apartment. Lafayette was holding a bottle of wine. Hercules waved around a bottle of scotch. 

"It smells good in here," Hercules said. "What is that?"

"Jerk Chicken," Alexander said. "Just put that stuff anywhere."

John was right, he was nervous. He was introducing his closest group of friends since middle school to his brother he'd only met a few weeks ago. He wasn't sure how well they'd get along or how his friends would react to seeing someone who looked just liked him. He couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like had they grown up together. What it would be like if George and Martha had adopted both of them. Would Usnavi have been a fierce, outspoken debate student like Alexander? Would he have dated a different girl every week? Alexander remembered the time Martha got so embarrassed hugging a girl he'd brought home for the first time telling her how good it was to see her again. Sonny had told him that Usnavi hadn't even dated a girl until after high school. Was it because he was too busy? Too shy? Too hung up on Vanessa? 

"So we finally get to meet the brother," Hercules said, collapsing onto the sofa. "What's that like anyway?"

"They look _exactly_ alike," John said, laughing a little.

"Man, fuck you," Alexander said, laughing too as John playfully kissed his cheek. 

"Did he freak out when John attacked him?" Lafayette snorted. 

"I didn't attack him," John said. "And yeah, man, he lost his mind. Thought Alex was cheatin'."

The three of them laughed hysterically at this. Another knock sounded at the door and Lafayette and Hercules scrambled over each other to open it. Hercules got there first and yanked the door open. A young man who really did look  _exactly_ like Alexander took a step back in surprise at the force of the door opening. He blinked a few times and said, "Hi. I'm Usnavi."

"Come in, Usnavi," Hercules said, gesturing him inside dramatically.

"Thank you," Usnavi said, slinking past him. He was holding a paper bag. 

Hercules, Lafayette, and John were completely silent as Usnavi walked up to Alexander and handed him the bag. Alexander was grinning from ear to ear it was plain to see that he was beyond excited to see his brother. They hugged and when they pulled apart, Alexander looked at the bag.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Coffee beans," Usnavi said. "From the Bodega."

"Oh, nice," Alexander said, grinning. "Thanks."

He put an arm around Usnavi and gestured to each of his friends, "Hercules, Lafayette, and you know John."

Usnavi rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I know John."

John laughed and they hugged. Usnavi then shook hands with Hercules and Lafayette. 

"He's like a cuddly, adorable version of you," Hercules joked.

"Pollo Jamaicano?" Usnavi asked, sniffing the air.

"Si," Alexander replied. "Es tu receta."

"No me diga." Usnavi grinned. "Huele bien."

The three friends of Alexander stared, watching the two converse in Spanish. Usnavi slapped Alexander on the shoulder and said, "Your Spanish is getting good."

"I don't think I truly ever lost it," Alexander said with a shrug. "I just needed practice."

He grinned and added, "Sonny's a great tutor, by the way."

Sonny had been coming over everyday before work and after school for an hour or two helping Alexander with his Spanish. 

"This is so surreal," John said, shaking his head. 

"Let's eat, guys," Alexander said, clapping his hands together. 

Dinner was nice. Alexander didn't make the chicken quite as spicy as Usnavi would have made it, but it was probably for the best because Hercules, Lafayette, and John kept chugging glass after glass of water, their eyes watering from the heat. Alexander complained that it should be hotter, shaking some hot sauce onto his serving. 

Usnavi listened to the four of them reminisce about middle school and high school. They recounted stories of Alexander dating multiple girls at a time and sneaking out of the house and debating with teachers. They talked about how he did a rap number for the school talent show that focused on politics. They told him about how he went to prom even though he was violently ill with the flu and passed out on the dance floor. 

"How was your prom?" John asked. "Any embarrassing stories to match his?"

"I, uh..." Usnavi shrugged one shoulder. He was smiling, but it was a sad smile. "I didn't go to prom."

"Really?" Hercules asked. "Why not?"

"It was a really rough time for me," Usnavi said, shrugging again. "My folks had passed only a few months before and I was trying to keep the store up. Everyone kept telling me to sell it, and I missed a lot of school."

"Oh." John looked ashamed for asking. He chewed on his bottom lip and looked at Alexander for help.

"You graduated though, right?" Alexander asked.

Usnavi turned red and shook his head, wringing his hat in his hands. 

"But I mean, I always knew I'd have the store," he said quickly. "And I got my GED and right after that I got Sonny so it wasn't a big deal."

The others nodded furiously with a chorus of 'oh yeah of course' and quickly switched topics to work and politics. Alexander, however, was light years away. His brother hadn't even graduated high school. It broke his heart. How had he got to grow up and live such a great life while his own brother suffered through the loss of two parents, trying to make a living and keep a business running at such a young age, and raise a child on top of all of that? He knew it was out of his control, but Alexander felt guilty. This should have been his life too. He should have been there to suffer through these things with him.

"So Alex tells you have a smokin' hot piece," Lafayette said and Usnavi's brows furrowed slightly.

"He means a beautiful girlfriend," Alexander said, looking pointedly at Lafayette. "Vanessa."

"Oh. Yeah!" Usnavi pulled up a picture on his phone and the other guys whistled and made comments about how pretty she was.

"He's been in love with her since they were in diapers," Alexander joked, making his friends laugh.

"Hardy har," Usnavi said, rolling his eyes. "Only since she was in diapers. We're three years apart in age."

This made the others laugh harder. After dinner and a few glasses of wine, John got busy rolling joints and Alexander opened the back door to the balcony. He asked Usnavi if he smoked weed.

"I haven't in a long time," Usnavi said, grinning, following them.

It was clear that he hadn't been free to do a lot of things in a long time. They laughed and made jokes as they smoked, Usnavi not quite fitting in, but fitting in enough to have a good time. Alexander watched him, wishing he could go back in time and take Usnavi with him. Wishing they could have grown up together. 

\--------

"It was really good to meet you, Usnavi," Hercules said, giving him a one armed hug as he and Lafayette got ready to go. Their Uber was waiting outside. 

"Same here," Usnavi said. "Maybe next time I'll invite Benny over too."

They looked at him questioningly. 

"My best friend," he said, beaming. 

After they left, Usnavi helped Alexander and John to tidy up before Eliza got home from spending the evening with her sister. They were all still a little drunk and made light-hearted jokes here and there. 

"Ugh....!" Alexander said, turning off the faucet as he ran water for dishes. "Gotta take a piss!"

He took off sprinting down the hall, making John and Usnavi laugh.

"Run, Ale! Run!" John called.

"Fuck!" They heard Alexander slur, running into something, and they laughed harder.

"Hey, look, Man," John said. "I'm sorry I brought up prom and stuff-"

"It's okay." Usnavi said, holding up his hands. "I liked hearing all the funny stories."

"He loves you, you know," John said. "Alexander. He talks about you nonstop."

Usnavi smiled, starting the water for dishes again. "Really?"

John nodded. "I'm glad you found each other."

\---------

Usnavi thanked the Uber driver as he got out of the car and made his way up the stairs to his apartment. He fumbled a little with the key, still a little tipsy, and when he stumbled in, Sonny was sitting on the living room floor working on some homework. He frowned at his cousin.

"You alright?" He asked him.

"Yeah," Usnavi said. "What're you doin' your homework in here for?"

"My bed makes me sleepy," Sonny said. "And this report's due tomorrow. And don't lecture me about procrastinatin' or some shit. AP classes are hard and-"

He stopped and sniffed the air. He stood up and moved to Usnavi, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt and smelled it. He took a step back.

"You been smokin'?" He asked suspiciously.

Usnavi sighed and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"I had a joint," he groaned.

Sonny's eyes widened. 

"You smoked a joint," he said. "I smoked a joint with Pete one time and you grounded me for a month and made me watch all those PSAs about drugs."

"I'm a grown man," Usnavi said, collapsing onto the sofa. "I'm allowed to smoke a joint."

Sonny sat down next to him, leaning his elbows on his knees, his chin in his hand. 

"I'm just teasin' you, Papi," he said, patting Usnavi's thigh. "You can smoke a joint. I ain't gonna ground you."

Usnavi laughed a little and pulled Sonny down next to him. He let out a long, deep sigh.

"I wonder what it would have been like if the Washingtons had adopted me too," he said sleepily. "If I had gone to prom and college and law school."

Sonny looked at him. Usnavi looked at Sonny and kissed his forehead.

"I'll let you get back to your homework," he said, sitting up. "I'm gonna sure as shit feel this in the morning."

"Yeah, you are," Sonny said, laughing. "Want me to open before I go to school?"

"You want to?" Usnavi asked. "I'll add an extra fifty bucks to your pay."

"Hells yeah," Sonny said. "Go to bed. Shower first. You smell like a Seth Rogen/James Franco movie."

\----

Usnavi was freshly showered and already falling asleep when Vanessa crept into the room. She stripped down to just her underwear and pulled one of his t-shirts out of the dresser. Usnavi half-listened as she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and when she finally crawled into bed beside him, he clumsily rolled over to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

"Did you have a good time?" She asked him quietly.

"I don't know if his friends like me," he admitted drowsily. "I know I'm a big nerd."

Vanessa chuckled. "They have to like you."

"They talked about prom and stuff," Usnavi said. "I was kinda forced to admit I never graduated. I'm sure that embarrassed Alexander."

Vanessa pulled away and propped herself up on one elbow.

"Why would that embarrass him?" She asked, brows furrowing. 

"He graduated in the top five percent or some shit," Usnavi said. "Or early. I dunno. And he graduated college early and went to law school and he already works for a firm and I'm a store owner in Washington Heights dishin' out cups of coffee for a living."

He sighed. "I'm the loser brother."

Vanessa snuggled up against him.

"If someone said to me, 'hey, here's a guy who graduated in the top five percent and breezed through college and went to law school'," Vanessa said. "I would say 'oh, that's nice, I guess'."

She kissed the corner of his mouth.

"And if someone said, 'and here's his twin brother who lost his parents at sixteen years old and worked his ass off to keep their store goin' and took custody of his baby cousin and made sure everyone had their morning coffee everyday' do you know which one I'd walk into Daniella's salon braggin' about?"

Usnavi knew already, but he guessed, "The law student?"

Vanessa pinched his side, making him yelp out in a cross between a laugh and an 'ow'. 

"You're bein' too hard on yourself, Babe," she told him. "I see the way Alexander looks at you. If anything, you impress him."

\---------

"What's wrong?" John asked, raising up slightly from kissing Alexander's neck. He tucked some of his thick dark hair behind his ear before kissing a new spot.

"I feel terrible," Alexander confessed, rolling over onto his back. John laid next to him, joining their hands together. 

"About Usnavi?" He guessed.

Alexander nodded.

"He lost his parents, had to quit school, had to take care of a kid," he said. "It couldn't have been easy for him and I wasn't even there to help him," he said.

John smiled a little and said, "You didn't know about him."

"I would give anything to change that," Alexander said in an unusually small voice. His eyes clouded with tears that he quickly wiped away. "He got so embarrassed at dinner. I just wanted to hug him forever."

John said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It wasn't anybody's fault," Alexander said, laughing a shaky laugh as a few more tears slid down his cheeks. He sat up and said, "God, I'm a mess."

"You can help him now," John suggested. "Didn't you say George and Martha already said they'd put his ass through college?"

Alexander laughed a little and said, "That's exactly what Dad said. He wants to adopt a grown-ass man."

"You could tutor him," John said, getting excited about the idea. "Help him to get a business degree or some shit. Didn't he say he's saving his lottery earnings to open up a bar? A degree would certainly help."

"Yeah?" Alexander seemed to consider this, staring thoughtfully into space. 

"And that fine piece of ass, Vanessa," John said. "She'd certainly be impressed with her fine piece of ass boyfriend gettin' a degree, all colleged-up."

Alexander laughed. "Please don't start. He ain't sharin' her with anybody."

"I only have eyes for you," John said, tugging him back down, kissing him again. They heard the front door open. He grinned and said, "And Eliza."

\-------

"College?" Sonny asked, his eyebrows going way up.

He was sitting at the kitchen bar with Alexander, going over some more Spanish. Alexander had told him his idea to talk Usnavi into going back to school.

"I dunno, Man," he said. "Usnavi in school? He's smart enough, but he stays busy. He won't even call in sick."

"I just want to help him in some kind of way," Alexander said. "Any way that I can."

"He's got the money to open up 96,000, but I don't know if he really wants to go through school-"

"96,000?" Alexander frowned. "What's that?"

"The name of his bar," Sonny explained. "He wants to call it 96,000. It's the amount of the lotto ticket Abuela Claudia won."

"I could help him open the bar!" Alexander said suddenly. "I could help him find the perfect location and help out with getting it set up and-"

"It ain't that easy," Sonny interrupted him. "He wants to open his bar in Washington Heights, but the gentrification, Man. All these hipsters keep movin' in and everything's organic and expensive and shit. Guys wear these...flood pants with no socks and berets. They talk to us like we're so cool and so  _cultured_ and then they make the rent so high we can't even keep shop there."

Alexander frowned. "They're redoing the neighborhood?"

"Usnavi said we might even have to move," Sonny said. "The lottery money is just enough to open the bar and keep the store up and mine is put up for college."

He sighed and said, "Some dude even came into the store. Some hipster's lawyer. Keeps tryin' to buy it out and then says 'well, it's gonna be gone either way'."

"Sounds like an asshole," Alexander said.

"Oh, he thought he was gonna talk to 'Navi like he's just a stupid store owner," Sonny said. "He wanted to talk to me like I'm some kid."

Alexander grinned. "Just some kid, huh?"

"I keep tellin' Pete to paint 'FUCK THOMAS JEFFERSON' around town, but Usnavi said not to. He said don't turn into what these high class lawyers are makin' us out to be," Sonny said, going through his phone. "A'ight. Back to escuela. How do you say 'I want a menu'?"

"Wait." Alexander frowned. "Thomas Jefferson?"

"Huh?" Sonny nodded. "Yeah, he's the lawyer for some big hipster buyer-outer."

"Fuck." Alexander slid off of the barstool. "That mother fucker."

He turned to Sonny. "What did he say to Usnavi?"

"He just kept telling him stuff like 'you can't wring a profit out of this dump' and 'I make more in a week than you probably make in a year selling cheap coffee'."

"Fuck!" Alexander said again. "I need to talk to Usnavi. Let's go."

"Are you gonna fuck up Thomas Jefferson?" Sonny's eyes lit up.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Alexander said, holding the door open for Sonny.

"Aw, sweet!" Sonny said, following a very angry Alexander Hamilton out the door and down the stairs.

\---------

"Back again?" Usnavi asked, putting on a big fake smile as Thomas Jefferson walked into the Bodega.

"Back again," Thomas said. He couldn't help but think this guy looked exactly like Alexander Hamilton, which was ridiculous because Alexander Hamilton was not a bodega owner in Washington Heights. 

"I ain't sellin' the store," Usnavi said, handing a customer her cup of coffee and Kit Kat. "You're wastin' your time."

"Actually," Thomas said, walking up to the counter to fiddle with a lighter. "I spoke with the owner of all these buildings."

"Yeah," Usnavi said. "Mr. Cavasos. He already told me he ain't sellin' either."

"It's a nice sentiment, isn't it?" Thomas smiled. "Until my client offered him an offer that will put him in early retirement."

He slid a sheet of paper across the counter. A paper with an outrageous monthly rent. A rent that would instantly drain his lottery winnings. To open 96,000, he'd have to sell the store. He stared at it, his hands cold and clammy. 

"You wouldn't even be able to afford the rent," Thomas told him. "You can open a grocery store anywhere, Mr. De La Vega, but when this block turns into Starbucks and Yoga studios and what not, they won't have any need for cheap coffee and-" he picked up a candy bar. "Milky Ways."

He set it back down and said, "Too processed for their taste."

"No..." Usnavi whispered, swallowing hard. 

"You mother fucker!" Alexander said, barreling into the bodega. "What do you think you're doing?"

Thomas looked between them. "Goddamn, I was right. Are you two related?"

"He's my brother," Alexander said. "And what the hell are you doing harassing him about his store?"

"I'm doing my job," Thomas said, sounding annoyed. "My client is buying out the whole block and he's refusing to sell."

His cell phone rang and he said, "Gentlemen" before making his dramatic exit to a waiting flashing car. 

"Man, what a jerk," Sonny said, flipping him off through the window.

Usnavi looked like he'd seen a ghost. He was still clutching the paper. Alexander moved behind the counter and gently took it from him, scanning it over.

"This is bullshit," he said. "It's an unfair amount to pay. I'll get it all sorted out, Usnavi. I'll-"

"No!" usnavi snapped. "I don't need you to do anything!"

Sonny turned around.

"Just because you went to college and law school and you work for a firm and all I do is make coffee doesn't mean I can't take care of things on my own," Usnavi said, his voice cracking. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. 

"What are we gonna do, Cuz?" Sonny asked.

"I'm gonna use the lottery money to offer to buy the building," Usnavi said. "Beg Mr. Cavasos. Give him some shit about tax cuts and what not. Dude's like eighty somethin'."

"Don't use your lottery money," Alexander said. "You need that to open your bar."

"I don't want the bar!" Usnavi said, tears in his eyes. "I want the store! This is my parents' store! This is all I have left!"

He suddenly burst into tears, burying his face in his hands. He leaned on the counter and cried. 

"Navi." Sonny moved to his side and rubbed his back, murmuring things in Spanish.

"You're not gonna lose the store," Alexander said slowly, rubbing his shoulder. "Jefferson is full of shit. Trust me, I know."

"You went to school with him or somethin'?" Sonny asked.

Alexander hesitated. "I sort of used to date him."

"The fuck out with that shit!" Sonny exclaimed. "You dated that prick?"

"It was a long time ago," Alexander said with a sigh. "I was a college freshman. Look, it doesn't matter. I know what a jerk he is. I know when he's bluffing to get what he wants. He likes to scare people. Likes to make them feel small."

Usnavi took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes. "Lo siento...I'm sorry, Alexander. I didn't mean-"

Alexander threw his arms around him and for the first time, held his brother. He held him close and rubbed his back. 

"You're not gonna lose your store," he promised again.

Usnavi cried into his brother's shirt, and even though it made Alexander feel terribly guilty, he was happy that he could help Usnavi in some way. 

 

To Be Continued...

 


End file.
